My father is 64 years old and is currently being held in a mental health clinic. He suffered depression for about a year in his mid 50's, but that is the only history of mental health issues he has had in his life. Over the past few weeks he had been the same man I have always known, and then he started being paranoid about crime in his neighborhood. The next thing I knew he said that he was being followed and watched everywhere he went. We decided to look for help once he felt as though there were cameras watching him through the television. He went to the ER about a week ago. They performed CAT scan, chest x-rays, and blood work. Nothing was found and he has been sent to a Mental Health clinic where is confined in a room. We can only visit him for 2 hours a day late in the evening. There has been no current alcohol abuse, and he has never been involved in drugs. Up until two weeks ago he was baby sitting my 13 month old son and was fine, the picture of health. What happened? They current diagnosis is Psychosis, but why? Will he ever come out of it? Will he ever be the same again? No new stresses have come into factor, except for the obsession with the evening news and the paranoia about being watched. When I talk to him on the phone, he is not sure if he is already dead. I tell him, you're okay. We are here, and we want you home. He tells me he is not getting out, because of all the bad things he has done. He may have had a mean streak in his younger days, but never spent anymore than a weekend in jail. Can someone tell me what happened to my dad? He has a wife, 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, and all of us want him to come home.

Have you talked to his pdoc? (psychiatrist) What do they say? Sudden onset psychosis can be set off by many things, fungus, bacteria in the brain. It can be true mental disorder just materializing. what are they testing him for? What meds are they giving him for it?

People don't generally develop schizophrenia out of nowhere at age 64. Definitely, lots of testing should be done to rule out other conditions. Possibly more brain studies must be done. Can you find out what kinds of tests and treatments he's getting at the Mental Health Clinic?

They are giving him trilafon in 2mg doses, twice a day. He is sounding better, more alert, but he still feels that he is there because he is guilty for things he has done in his life. Today he signed a protective custody order that will keep him under the doctor's care for the next 14 days. One of the nurses at the facility tells me that he does not expect him to be there that long, but I don't know if that is false hope or truth. As of today he has been at the center a week. Today they are doing an MRI on his brain. I don't believe they are testing him for anything further, as the diagnosis of psychosis has already been made. I believe they are just trying to get him the rest and medication that he needs to be released.

People don't generally develop schizophrenia out of nowhere at age 64. Definitely, lots of testing should be done to rule out other conditions. Possibly more brain studies must be done. Can you find out what kinds of tests and treatments he's getting at the Mental Health Clinic?

There"s actually quite a large difference between schizophrenia and psychosis...and the OP doesn't mention schizo......just an FYI

So the MRI came back with "generalized volume loss & no acute abnormalities". Dad has been moved to an unlocked room, and everyone at the center tells me how well he is doing. He communicates well, and is still very sharp. His memory has not faded at all, and he is also retaining new information as well. (i.e. he is now a great-grandfather for the 4th time since his stay and remembers the new baby's name.) When I ask my Dad how he thinks he is doing his response is, "I don't think I'm doing too good. I feel scared." He is still convinced that his home is unsafe and that there are some people out to get him.

Not trying to sound overdramatic or such, but I know Waco has its share of rough gang areas, could something have happened near or possibly in your fathers home that has him scared to go there? Something that perhaps he hasn't told you about or may be scared to tell you about? I know this is pretty far-fetched.....but then again, what is happening to your father, with no medication involvement or injury....it's pretty far fetched in itself.

Not trying to sound overdramatic or such, but I know Waco has its share of rough gang areas, could something have happened near or possibly in your fathers home that has him scared to go there? Something that perhaps he hasn't told you about or may be scared to tell you about? I know this is pretty far-fetched.....but then again, what is happening to your father, with no medication involvement or injury....it's pretty far fetched in itself.

kat

Dad has never been the type to scare easily. Confrontational is more like it. He makes the people in his neighborhood feel safe. They have told me this recently. He is always outdoors and looks out for others. He has reported suspicious activity in his neighborhood, but we have no reason to believe that anything dramatic has happened. Family and friends visit him and my mother quite frequently at their home. I have lived in Waco for 31 years, and there are some crimes and criminal activity, but there are no real gangs. Waco has an undeserving reputation in that regard. I believe that Dad may be feeling guilty for things he had done in his younger years, and maybe that has caught up with him. You can't escape your conscience, but he has been a good man for the most part. The head of many hard working family centered children and grand-children. He has nothing to feel guilty for as far as I am concerned.

Well yesterday morning they shipped my Dad to the state mental hospital. My family and I are still upset that we had absolutely no notice of this move, and he is now over 100 miles away from home. I know that he will get much better help at the state hospital because they have more experienced Dr.'s, Social Workers, and staff to help. They have changed his medicine to Risperdal 1mg daily. We have no idea how long they intend to keep him. Until he is more stable we are told. It will be much more difficult to visit with him as we all have jobs and families to take care of, and my mother can not drive for 6 months because of her recent knee surgery. I just don't know what I, we are supposed to do to help now that he is so far away. The Social Worker tells me that she will call us at least once a week. Once. What happened to my Dad? What is going to happen to our family?

I don't know the origin of your theology, or even if you are a religious person. But if you put this in God's hands, i'm sure that an answer will come to light and you will find out what's going on. If they've not found anything physical or chemical then they have to start checking out the mental status so that they can get to the bottom of this. your dad will be fine, it's genrally harder on the family than it is on the one being committed. Trust me I've been committed once in the past 3 yrs after an overdose, and then checked myself in a second time because my depression was taking over and it was the safe thing to do.

If there is a psychological component, then the pdocs there should be able to figure out what it is.

Is there any chance your dad may be faking this in order to avoid having to tell you and the family something? Please know that i'm not accusing, just racking my brain to help you come up with an answer.

Please continue to let us know how he progresses and know that we are here for you.

My Dad is a very active man. He is enjoys fishing, visiting family (both immediate and extended), keeping a clean yard, helping my brothers and I with our yard work from time to time. He is almost always outdoors doing something, and he loves to be in constant contact with everyone over the phone or in person. I do not suspect him of "faking" anything.

The most recent diagnosis was "Psychosis N.O.S." - not otherwise specified. I do pray for my father, and I know that he has been praying for peace as well. He has known Jesus Christ longer than I have been alive. He told me not long ago that he must pray for forgivness. I explained to him that he has been forgiven long ago, that he must pray for peace of mind.

No one has mentioned "being committed". Is this something I should be concerned about? Should my family contact a lawyer before something else happens to him?

No, and I didn't mean to alarm you. Basically if he's being held in a mental institute without the ability for a family member to come and sign him out, he's been committed. If he's there voluntarily that's a whole different story. but from what you said about him being shipped to another facility without you or your family's knowledge or input I assumed he had been committed.

the most recent diagnosis is " depression with psychotic features". doctors have given an EEG and an anti-psych test to rule out things like dementia and epilepsy. no results yet. when i speak to dad he sounds much better, and his social worker tells us that he may be released next week, but nothing definite. we're going on a month now. i know helping dad is what is best, but the answers are so slow to be shared.